Thoughts & Deeds

The launch of Google Maps’ “Bike There” feature has been a pretty big deal in Portland. After poking around on it a bit, Joseph Rose from the Oregonian asked his Twitter followers if it seemed a little “beta” to them. I replied that it was “very beta” and was even published, though my follow-up tweet wasn’t published and my real point was lost. It wasn’t until I was on a long ride over the weekend that I realized exactly why the Bike There feature felt beta to me. … more

September means Bike Commute Challenge month in Portland – a month in which the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the city promote bike commuting by encouraging friendly competition between individuals at local businesses to see who can bike the most in the month. It’s a great idea, especially for larger companies that draw a lot of employees who drive into town from suburbs (or even near-town neighborhoods). … more

Last night we received some tough news. A friend had been killed in a cycling accident in Virginia, having been hit by a dirt hauling truck while it was making a right turn. To say that I was close to Bonnie Tinker would be a stretch, but I knew her as part of the Quaker community in Portland. She was at my wedding, signed the marriage certificate, had known my wife for nearly two decades. I had given her advice about how to change and improve the Love Makes a Family website. … more

How often have you heard someone say “Well, I need room to haul stuff…” when contemplating a new car purchase? This mythical “stuff” becomes the rationalization for buying an SUV or station wagon with enough room to haul around large objects. People poo-poo the Prius or similar sized cars as not having enough room for people, “stuff”, pets, etc. The only solution to this “stuff” problem is clearly to get a larger vehicle! … more

Gas, as we know, is becoming ridiculously expensive. Add that to what we now know about global warming and we see many people clamoring to ditch their old cars to buy new hybids. I know I sure did it, trading my Mazda 3 hatchback in for a Prius last year when my Mazda lease ran out. Now that I’m used to getting 40-55 MPG, I know I’ll never buy another full-gasoline vehicle again. … more

I’ve been lucky over the years to work for companies and in offices that allow me to bring my dog to work. Portland is definitely a dog-oriented town and having pooches in the office seems like a right and not a perk for many people. At past jobs, I knew things were really going downhill when dogs were banned from the workplace; it starts with banning dogs and ends in reduced benefits or salaries and a generally demoralized culture.

One of the many great things about running my own business is that I can bring my dog to work whenever I want. Often, my one dilemma about bringing Josie – my loveable, energetic 3-year-old German Shepherd/Lab mix – is that having her at work means driving my car instead of biking. I hate driving to work, even though the parking is free. It makes me feel so lazy! And it means that Josie doesn’t always get the exercise she needs in a day, so she’s antsy under my desk all day.

A few months ago, Kathy and I wondered if we could combine biking with exercising Josie and experimented with tying her leash to my seatpost and going for a spin around the neighborhood. Success! Though that worked pretty well, it didn’t feel that safe. So we bought a Walky Dog bike attachment, which is the most amazing dog exercise gadget of all time. We started taking Josie for bike rides whenever she really needed a good dog-speed sprint. A tired dog is happy, well-behaved dog! This got me to thinking about biking to work with her, since she’d get to run three miles each way, I’d still get to bike, and we’d combine her morning walk with my morning commute. Win-win-win!

Yesterday marked our inaugural Bike n’ Bark ride to the office. It worked! Josie was a pooped pooch for a good while at the office and had a lot of fun running home. I love that I have enough bike routes options for getting to work that I can choose one that’s safe for me and the dog. I love living in a city that makes biking a priority. I love living in a dog-friendly town. And I love that people smile when they see us!

Josie and I will definitely be biking to work more often!

In the last week I’ve driven my car 53 miles, ridden my bike 31 miles, and walked roughly 10 miles. I drove to work once, to Lake Oswego for a meeting, to Powell Butte for a hike, and to Hillsboro for softball games. That’s a lot more driving than I usually do, so I’ll have to go on a serious car diet for the next few weeks. I rode my bike to work three times and took my dog, Josie, for four bike rides. I took Josie for eight walks. … more

I used to be a bus commuter. It was better than trying to drive to work in bumper-to-bumper traffic then have to pay for parking, and at least I could read while I sat (or stood) in a cramped bus. Depending on where I worked at the time, my commute took from 30 – 60 minutes each way. I sure got a lot of reading done, and met some “interesting” people along the way. I also learned a lot about patience, tolerance, and holding my breath when “Cat Pee Lady” was on the #15 bus with me yet again. … more

I was just reading and article on the BTA Blog about updating your old, tired out helmet, which reminded me that I should change out my own helmet even though it’s barely more than a year old.

I bought a new helmet last winter because my previous one reached the three year mark, the age at which old helmets should be retired because they’re no longer structurally sound if you whack your noggin on the pavement. … more

The pop/synth band Freezepop has a catchy little tune about casual bike thieving that I’ve always found entertaining. But as “they” say, it’s all fun and games until someone loses and eye, or until someone steals your bike. I’ve been the target of theft a couple of times over the years, mostly related to a Honda Civic I used to have. It’s a pretty icky feeling to know that some loser/meth head has crawled all over your stuff, looking for money or things to steal. But somehow that’s less irritating than having your bike stolen. … more